A/N: Just a drabble that wouldn't exit my brain until I put in ink. Scribbled this out during my lunch break without a beta, so all uh-ohs are mine all mine. Heavy spoilers for Believe Me and my twist on what happened at the end of the day.

Soothing The Burn

At nine o'clock that evening, he still sat at his desk. The only light on the twelfth floor came from the dim security lights along the corridor wall and from the lone lamp on his desk.

While he held a report in his hands, he hadn't turned a page in over an hour and his eyes hadn't focused on a single word in the same time.

He was miserable as he fought to keep his mind from racing and his stomach from lurching into painful spasms.

Their heated conversation in the hall caught him off guard. He wasn't sure if he was angry or worried that she had been avoiding him until that moment. However, the way she lashed out without provocation temporarily stunned him. He was just trying to find her. After all, she had agreed to meet with Brian and no one knew what his true intentions were. Brian said he now wanted to be in Finn's life, but to what extent would he go to get his way?

Jack knew he reacted with checked anger when she just assumed he would be belligerent. She didn't even give him the benefit of a doubt. If he was honest with himself, he couldn't blame her. After all, his past spoke very loudly for itself when it came to "Jack's way or no way." However, he was in no mood to be honest with himself.

Her reaction hurt him and it was probably best Danny walked up when he did. No telling what he would have said next…and, he didn't want to hear what she might have said.

He took a small bit of consolation from their talk just before the end of the day. At least she didn't seem so angry with him and she seemed genuine in wanting to figure this mess out together. He did the best he could to diffuse the situation. He told her he didn't like the idea of Brian in her life, but fully supported her in whatever her decision was for Finn.

He hadn't gotten around to telling her, but he was quickly falling in love with the little guy. Scoffing aloud, he figured she probably had a pretty good idea. After all, he wasn't more than a big puddle of mush around Shorty.

If Brian wanted Finn to know he was his father, so be it. But he wanted to be Finn's daddy and certainly was ready for a no holds barred fight if Brian even hinted he wanted to pursue a relationship with Samantha.

All that be as it may, here he sat alone in his office at nine o'clock at night while Brian was at Samantha's putting his best foot forward. This being honest with himself and working on not executing the same plan over and over again was harder than he thought it would be.

After all, Brian was a handsome young man. He was more Samantha's age and, like it or not, he was the father to their baby. Scrubbing his palms over his face, he attempted to wipe the cold sweat from his brow.

Lost in his thoughts, the ringing phone made him jump. His voice was scratchy as he muttered, "Malone." His heart stopped when he heard her voice respond with, "Hey. I called your apartment and your cell. Why aren't you home?"

Struggling to keep the vulnerability out of his voice, he failed miserably as he stammered, "Oh. Yeah. I. I…um…I had some..uh… stuff I needed to do here." Even he winced at how pathetic he sounded.

He listened to her breathe and wondered if Brian was standing right there next to her holding Finn in his arms. Closing his eyes against the vile thought, he was just about to make an excuse to hang up when she softly asked again, "Jack. Why are you still at the office?"

Squeezing the phone a bit tighter, he confessed. "Because my apartment is cold and quiet and lonely and I'm in no frame of mind to be there right now."

He couldn't see that his words caused her to take a seat and drop her forehead to her fist. The visit with Brian had gone well, but her thoughts never strayed far from Jack and the gnawing question of where they now stood. She could hear the pain in his voice and it hurt her to know she showed mistrust in him.

"Jack."

It was something about the way she said his name during intimate moments. It got to him every time.

"Jack, what are still doing at the office?"

He felt small, defenseless and completely off balance when he answered, "I've been sitting here for the last couple of hours trying to remember."

"Remember what?" she prompted.

"I'm trying to remember… when was the last time I felt this scared and unsure?" Waiting a beat, he continued, "I think it was right before I made my first solo jump in Airborne."

Her eyes misted over and her throat clenched at the gravity of his words. She had her answer. She knew they would make this work together.

Smiling a watery smile, she opened the door wide. "Jack. You have nothing to fear. Your place in our hearts and our lives hasn't changed. It can't. I won't let it."

His fears and anxiety melted like an ice cream on a hot summer's day when she said, "Turn off your light, put on your jacket and come on over. We'll wait up for you."

The End